


Fundamentals of Late Night Conversations & Remedial Psychology

by feeisamarshmallow



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Anxiety, Could be read as shippy, Episode Tag, Episode: s03e12 Contemporary Impressionists, Fix-It, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jeff Winger Has Issues, Mental Health Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:28:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24629311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feeisamarshmallow/pseuds/feeisamarshmallow
Summary: Annie stops by Jeff's apartment after his freak-out in S03E12 Contemporary Impressionists. Annie has a lot to say about Britta's mental health advice. Jeff thinks maybe Annie is right.Basically a fix-it fic because I felt very uncomfortable with the way the show treated Jeff's anxiety storyline.
Relationships: Annie Edison & Jeff Winger
Comments: 25
Kudos: 88





	Fundamentals of Late Night Conversations & Remedial Psychology

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by the fantastic [@suspended-in-gaffa](https://suspended-in-gaffa.tumblr.com/).

Jeff has just settled on his couch with a glass of scotch and a rerun of an old sitcom when he hears a knock at his door. Three short raps, reserved, yet loud enough to get his attention. It’s late, but he immediately knows it’s Annie. He unfolds himself from the couch and walks over to his apartment door.

Annie has her arms wrapped around herself and a hopeful look on her face when he opens the door. 

“Annie.” Jeff wishes he had a better response, but he’s too exhausted from the disastrous celebrity-impression-bar-mitzvah experience to muster up a better greeting. 

It seems like Annie is also feeling to-the-point, because she just nods and launches into an explanation. 

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay after tonight?” Her voice raises at the end in a question as she looks up to meet him in the eye. 

Jeff looks away, instead staring down the hallway over her shoulder. 

“You mean after my spot-on hulk impression. I’m fine,” he says. 

He can see Annie raise her eyebrow at him in his peripheral vision. 

“I’m fine really. I’m going to stop taking the pills, so you don’t have to worry.” He knows he should shut the door and leave it at that. But she did come all the way to his apartment to check on him. And it’s Annie, with her Disney eyes and relentless care for her friends. Everyone may think he’s a jerk, but he just can’t slam the door in her face, so he steps aside and lets her in. 

“No, Jeff—that’s actually what I came here to talk about.” Annie kicks off her shoes and follows Jeff over to the living room area. “Britta doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” 

“Shocker,” Jeff replies. 

Annie stops in the middle of the room to look him dead in the eye. “Really? ‘You need your anxiety to keep your ego in check’? That’s crap.” She makes air quotes around Britta’s words before continuing, “If you got prescribed medication and it’s helping, keep taking your meds. Or at the very least talk to your doctor before you change them.” 

“Careful Annie you’re starting to sound like a drug advertisement.” Jeff walks past her and slouches back down on the couch, crossing one leg over the other. 

Annie stares at him for a second, then walks over to join him on the couch. Jeff is waiting for Annie to respond, but she just sits there, apparently content to be silent. 

“Okay, fine. I’ll call my doctor and talk about my hulk freak-out before I make a decision to stop taking them,” he sighs, reaching for his glass of scotch and stopping when he sees Annie watching him. 

“Good.” Annie nods. “I know Britta thinks she’s helping, but she’s not. She just goes around spouting pseudo-psychology, and honestly,” Annie stops to take a breath and cross her arms, “I’m kinda mad at her.” She finishes with a huff. 

Jeff almost laughs, but stops himself because he thinks it’s kind of belittling. Annie is such an endearing mixture of confidence and naïveté. As much as Jeff doesn’t need someone half his age defending his honour, it touches him all the same that she made an effort to show up tonight. 

“You don’t have to be mad at her, but I appreciate the gesture,” he says. 

Annie doesn’t say anything, resettling her arms. 

“Britta’s not bad—she means well at least. I think,” Jeff continues. 

“Yeah,” Annie nods, but she doesn’t look convinced. 

In front of them, the TV continues to play, muted. Flickers of light play across Annie’s face, illuminating her perfect eyebrows and shiny lip gloss. 

“Is this _Friends_?” Annie asks, and Jeff nods. “Do you mind if I stay and watch?” 

Jeff shrugs as Annie rearranges to curl up on the couch with her feet underneath her. 

They sit quietly for a while. Jeff picks up his Scotch, sipping it, and then remembers to offer Annie a non-alcoholic drink, which she declines. When it goes to a commercial break, Jeff mutes the TV again, and they watch the ads flash in silence for a beat before he speaks. 

“Do you think my bathroom tiles are ugly?”

Annie turns to look at him, but Jeff keeps his eyes trained on the TV. “Um, no? I don’t really have an opinion on your bathroom tile. Is this somehow related to Britta?” 

“Britta told me they were ugly.” Jeff raises a shoulder nonchalantly, but Annie must be able to tell it’s bothering him. 

“Your whole apartment is a little too bachelor-pad-y for me,” Annie looks around, taking in the black and grey colour-scheme and the lack of any personal decorations. “But honestly I don’t really care about your bathroom. If you like the tile, then keep the tile. Why was Britta talking about your bathroom tile?” 

“She was talking down my ego. It was actually really helpful.” 

“Jeff…”

Jeff finally turns to look at Annie, and her expression is even more concerned, her blue eyes bigger than usual. He shrugs. 

“What did Britta say?” Annie says it like she’s afraid to hear the answer. 

“So what if my posture is bad? I make up for it with my charming good looks.” Jeff tries for a joke, but the tone falls flat. 

“What did Britta say?” Annie repeats. 

“It doesn’t matter.” Jeff mumbles. 

“I can’t believe it!” Annie exclaims. The show has started again, but Annie grabs the remote before Jeff can raise the TV volume. “First Britta tries to convince you that you don’t need your meds. Then she thinks it’s a good strategy to insult you when you’re already having an anxiety attack, or whatever happened tonight. And she attacks your body, no less, as if that’s not something you can’t change and that you’re already insecure about.” 

Jeff is quiet. 

“Huh. I never thought of it that way.” He suddenly finds the edge of the couch interesting, picking at a loose button. 

“What?” Annie sounds genuinely confused. 

Jeff sighs. He promised himself he wouldn’t talk about this, especially not with Annie. He feels like a loser, dumping all his problems on a 20 year-old kid. But there’s something about her presence that feels calming. Like Annie knows he’s broken, and she cares, but she’s not judging him for it. Although he appreciated Britta taking him home tonight, he also felt like she was sizing up all his mental problems the whole drive back to his apartment. 

“I never thought that it might be hurtful. It was helpful at the time,” he finally gets out, still not meeting her eyes. “I always assume I’m terrible and self-absorbed. Narcissistic, like Britta said. I mean I did ruin a kid’s bar mitzvah, which is pretty awful.” 

“Well, it was kind of awful, but that has nothing to do with the fact that Britta shouldn’t have insulted you.” Her voice grows shrill and she makes like she’s going to jump off the couch and storm off to Britta at that exact moment. Jeff reaches out a hand to stop her, but pulls back before he can grab her arm. Annie sits back against the couch with a sigh. 

“How did you know all this?” Usually Jeff undercuts his words with sarcasm, but he’s genuinely curious, and too tired to sound aloof. 

“All this meaning basic mental health information? Probably the six months I spent in intensive therapy for my addiction to pills.” 

“Oh right.” Jeff drops his hand back to the couch. 

“I’m not ashamed of it, Jeff.” Annie’s tone is insistent and earnest. “I wouldn’t wish for it to happen to anyone, but I don’t hate myself for my addiction or any of my mental health issues. And it means that I understand.” 

Jeff nods slowly, thinking. 

“Britta has her share of issues, too,” Annie continues, “but I’m not sure she really gets it.” 

“So you don’t think I should let her therapize me?” This time, Jeff phrases it as a joke, but there’s more truth than he’d like to admit to his question. 

“No!” Annie exclaims. “You need to keep seeing a real, qualified therapist. Even the free ones at Greendale are at least more qualified than Britta.” 

“She really would make a terrible psychologist.” That gets a chuckle out of both of them. 

“I feel kind of bad bashing on Britta, but she would be the worst. And I’ve seen some terrible mental health professionals in my day,” Annie says. 

Jeff is suddenly struck by the woman sitting next to him, who went through rehab all by herself, and put herself through college when her parents wouldn’t speak to her. Who works to make the Dean’s honour list every term, even when the value of their education is questionable. And who most of all, decided to come check on him instead of go home and drop into bed after a truly bizarre evening. 

“You’re amazing, Annie, do you know that?” He forces himself to look at her when he speaks, instead of focus on the TV. “That you went through all of that alone, while your parents just ditched you. And you’re so kind and confident and...wise...through it all.” 

“You’re not so bad yourself.” 

Jeff recoils, crossing his arms. He opens his mouth to dismiss Annie, but she talks before he can say anything. 

“Uh-uh. You don’t get to brush that compliment off. It takes a lot of courage to get help. And even more to be vulnerable and share it with the study group.” 

She puts her hand on his shoulder, and he doesn’t shrug it away. 

“It’s courageous to be messed up?” he asks. 

“It’s courageous to admit you need help,” she corrects, her voice soft. “And it’s courageous to trust your friends. Britta shouldn’t have broken that trust.” 

“Thanks, Annie. Honestly,” he says, and then he opens his arm to invite her into a hug. Instead Annie scoots over and sits curled up against him. Under any other circumstances, he might back away and try to discourage such a romantic move, but it feels strictly platonic tonight, and more than that, it feels nice. 

“How did you know I was, um...insecure...about myself? You know, my body?” he asks after a minute. 

“Jeff—I—it’s obvious.” He pulls back and Annie reacts by sitting upright. “At least to me. We all make fun of you and call you vain, but I can see the truth. You’re not narcissistic or shallow, or—well maybe you’re a little materialistic, but the point is, mostly I think you’re scared. And I get it, because I’m scared too. Maybe not of the same things, but I do know the feeling. I don’t know what all Britta said, but that’s why I think it wasn’t cool. She shouldn’t hit you when you’re down like that. It sucks when people do that, especially when they think they’re helping.” 

“Wow, usually I’m the one giving the inspiring speeches, but that was pretty impressive.” 

Annie smiles and a touch of red edges into her cheeks. 

The episode has wrapped up and the credits start to roll when Jeff murmurs, “you know I hate people looking at me? And um, touching me? I can’t stop wanting it, but I also hate it.” 

Annie takes a second to respond, before nodding. 

“But this is okay though?” Annie lifts her head up from his shoulder to look at him. 

“Yeah somehow this is different.” 

Annie smiles, and that makes Jeff smile too.

Much later, they’ve turned the TV off. Annie is asleep against Jeff, and he really should let her have the couch, and go to bed. 

“I don’t think it was the meds that made me freak out like that,” Jeff whispers to Annie’s sleeping form. 

He’s not expecting a response, but Annie stirs. 

“I don’t think it was either,” she says sleepily. 

“I’ll still talk to my doctor, but I don’t want to stop taking them. It’s so nice not to feel anxious all the time.” 

“And you deserve that, you really do.” Annie moves her hand to squeeze his shoulder. 

Then she adds, “Do you mind if I sleep here?” 

“It’s so late that I think I have to insist. Do you want my bed, or the couch?” 

“This is fine.” 

Jeff nods and makes like he’s going to get up, but he reasons that he can stay for just a few more minutes. Before he knows it, he’s asleep too. And maybe it’s Annie, or maybe it’s just his meds doing their thing, but he sleeps soundly in a way he used to not know was possible. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first community fic, and first time writing for a new fandom in almost three years, so please tell me what you think! I just started watching community and this show has consumed my brain, so any and all talk of the show will please me greatly. Bonus points if you'd like to psychoanalyze Jeff with me. 
> 
> I've read a couple of fics that headcanoned Jeff as asexual and/or aromantic, which I thought was really cool (and relatable), and I think I subconsciously alluded to my own interpretation of that in this fic, too.
> 
> Or, come say hi on tumblr [@feeisamarshmallow.](https://feeisamarshmallow.tumblr.com/)


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